


Joreth

by KyberChronicles



Series: The Alias Series [1]
Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: (... sort of.), Aliases, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Attraction, Character Study, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Nudity, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-20
Updated: 2017-04-20
Packaged: 2018-10-21 04:34:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10677786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KyberChronicles/pseuds/KyberChronicles
Summary: “How do you do it?” she had asked him one night on the ship, her tongue loosened by alcohol, the stars stretching out to infinity in front of them.“Do what?” he asked.“Become this different person all the time,” she said, staring out the viewport window.“You’ve had different identities, too,” he had reminded her.“Just the names, really.  Liana, Kestrel, Tannith-- they were all still just me.  Me with a fake name,” she told him.“Mine are still me.  Just different aspects, I suppose.”





	1. Part One

Ever since Cassian had been double-crossed by that _schutta_ on Coruscant and almost gotten killed, Jyn had insisted on accompanying him whenever he needed to meet with an informant.

“Look,” she had told Draven, as he glowered at her.  “You either give him clearance to debrief me beforehand so I can keep your best agent safe, or I follow him anyway and risk blowing his cover.  You’d probably lose a few important allies to the rebellion, too.”

Cassian had stayed silent, his face pink and his jaw clenched.

Draven had reluctantly agreed to keep Jyn informed on _some_ basic details of Cassian’s appointments and missions going forward.

“I don’t need a babysitter,” he had hissed at her afterwards, his fingers tight on her arm.  

“I didn’t say that you did,” Jyn had snapped back.  “But you _do_ need back-up, especially now that you don’t have Kay.”

She almost regretted the words when she saw a flicker of pain pass over his face, but then he had sighed.

“Fine. But I’ve put in a lot of time and effort to gain the trust of these informants, and I don’t want that to go to waste.  If you’re coming with me, you have to agree to _listen_.  Obey my orders.  No rash decisions. Got it?”

She had raised an eyebrow at him, but nodded slowly.

“Got it.”

The first time she shadowed him, they had met with a jumpy Sullustan who glared at her with outright dislike and suspicion.  However, when he questioned Cassian about her and Jyn had replied to him in Sullustese, his demeanor had changed completely.  He had even winked at her as they departed.  

On the way back to the ship, Jyn had smirked, feeling Cassian’s eyes on her the entire time.

After a few more secret meetings and rendezvous, it became clear that Jyn’s presence was a much-needed advantage.  She was able to watch their backs while Cassian worked, without drawing attention.  She had quick reflexes and fairly reliable intuition.  And, to his great surprise, she listened to him-- most of the time, anyway.  They were a good team, and though he wouldn’t admit it out loud, her company made things a little bit less dark.

As for Jyn, she learned more and more every day about the enigma that was Cassian Andor.  For one thing, his personality would change completely from informant to informant, even down to his clothing.

For example, she knew that if he shrugged into a particular black leather jacket, he’d be cold and distant, getting through the meeting as quickly as possible with no pleasantries exchanged.  They would usually refer to him as “Willix” in those situations, meeting him in alleyways or abandoned buildings, shrouded in darkness.  She imagined Willix as the part of Cassian that was potentially very dangerous; the obedient soldier, the trained killer.  He was always very quiet before and after he slipped into that personality, barely even looking in Jyn’s direction unless necessary.  

Then there was “Aach”. She quite liked Aach.  He was a jovial, personable, persuasive fellow with a warm heart and loud laugh.  He’d meet his “friends”, as he called them, in bars or even their own houses.  He had a quick wit, an ever-constant, easygoing smile, and could he ever drink!  Even his posture was different: whereas Cassian was typically stock-straight and alert, Aach’s shoulders were relaxed, his stance open and inviting.  It wasn’t out of the question for him to throw his arm around Jyn’s shoulders, call her his “partner”, and tease her about being too “uptight” (which she had a good laugh about back on the ship).  Cassian clearly enjoyed his time as Aach, his eyes sparkling and his smile lingering long after they left his contact.  Jyn often wondered if Aach was simply Cassian without his past, without the war, without the Rebellion.

“How do you do it?” she had asked him one night on the ship, her tongue loosened by alcohol, the stars stretching out to infinity in front of them.

“Do what?” he asked.

“Become this different person all the time,” she said, staring out the viewport window.

“You’ve had different identities, too,” he had reminded her.

“Just the names, really.  Liana, Kestrel, Tannith-- they were all still just _me_.  Me with a fake name,” she told him.

“Mine are still me.  Just different aspects, I suppose.”

There was a long pause.

“Didn’t you ever just want to be someone else?  Not anyone in particular, just not… you?” he asked quietly.

She had turned to look at him. The glow of the controls brought his jaw and cheekbones into sharp focus.

“Yes,” she admitted.

Cassian shrugged.

“I do it because I have to, because I was trained to do it,” he said.  “But sometimes?  It’s a relief.”

And she understood completely.  But an ache settled in her chest nonetheless; the knowledge that Cassian, a man that she cared so deeply for that she had forced her way onto his team to keep him safe, wanted to be anything other than the incredible man that she knew him to be was hard to bear.  A part of her wanted to grab him by the shirt, kiss him silly, and show him how wonderful it could be to be himself.  But she couldn’t do that, now that they were partners.  Staying by his side was too important.

Still, she had reached over and placed her hand over his.  When he looked at her sharply, she gave him a gentle smile.

“For what it’s worth? I think Cassian Andor is far better than Willix, Aach, or anyone else,” she told him.

He had ducked his head, but she still caught a glimpse of the pronounced dimple in his cheek.

But as much as she had learned about Cassian and his aliases, nothing in the galaxy could’ve prepared her for Joreth Sward.

She knew that something was different right after she woke up in her tiny bunk on their ship, the morning of their scheduled meeting on Corellia. By that point in their partnership, she knew exactly what to expect out of the day from Cassian’s behavior beforehand-- barring any unplanned Imperial inconveniences, of course.

But that morning was different.

That morning, Cassian was humming.

She had never heard him hum.  She wasn’t exactly sure if she knew he was capable of it.  She didn’t even know that he _liked_ music. Chirrut hummed, for kriff’s sake, and Baze always rolled his eyes when he started up.  Once she had poured herself a cup of caf in their tiny makeshift galley, she quietly crept up to the cockpit to investigate.

Yes, he was definitely humming.  Jyn leaned against the wall and watched him, her brow furrowed in confusion.  What did humming mean?  She didn’t recognize the song, but it didn’t sound sad, so perhaps he’d be some version of Aach today.  That pleased her, though anything was better than Willix.  If she could rid Cassian of Willix forever, she’d do it in a heartbeat.

She slowly took a sip of her caf.  Cassian turned around.  Upon seeing her, a slow, predatory grin stretched across his lips.  His dark eyes flicked over the length of her.

“Buenos días, mi-”

Jyn’s eyebrows were nearly touching her hairline.  He had never spoken to her in Festian before.

The day was turning out to be quite interesting, indeed.

Cassian shook his head, a pink flush blossoming on his cheeks.

“S-Sorry, I meant-- good morning,” he stammered.  He turned quickly back to the console, flipping a switch.  

“Good morning,” Jyn answered, both amused and quizzical.

“We’re, uh, we’re about 100 klicks out from Corellia.  I’m going to need you to take the controls for awhile, so I can… um, get ready.”

He scratched the back of his neck, refusing to meet her eyes.

This was another new development.  Cassian was _nervous_ .  He didn’t get nervous.  He could be cautious, tense, concerned, alert-- that she’d seen.  But _nervous_? Never.

He stood up and went to move past her, but she grabbed his arm.  Her gut was starting to feel funny, like something was wrong.  

“Cassian, are you all right?” she asked, searching his face for clues.

“Sí-- I mean, yes.  Yes, I’m fine,” he stuttered.  “I’m just… I’m better at this one alone.”

Jyn was getting worried.

“Is there anything I need to know?” she asked slowly, not letting him go.

He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face.

“Our contact point is is a place called Madame Xeeta’s.  Have you heard of it?” he asked.

Jyn blinked.   _Madame Xeeta’s?!_

“The whorehouse?” she asked, incredulously.

“The brothel, yes,” he mumbled.  “I’ll be going in as Joreth Sward.”

Jyn hadn’t heard him use that alias before.  

_I’m better at this one alone_ , she remembered.  She paused for a moment, before her next question.

“Are… are you going in as a customer?”

“No seas ridículo,” he muttered.  Then he seemed to catch himself, shaking his head again.  She was beginning to worry about him.  Joreth apparently made Cassian act very strangely.

“It’s nothing like that, don’t be ridiculous,” he told her, looking down at his feet.  “Can you just do me a favor?”

“Depends on what it is,” Jyn told him, concern still etched in her features, but it lifted slightly once she saw the corners of his lips turn up.  He stepped into her space, and she suddenly felt heat igniting her insides as he got even closer than usual, his lips nearly brushing her ear as he spoke.

“Don’t judge me too harshly for this one.”  

_What?_ She blinked in confusion, the flames suddenly doused.  But he was gone, sauntering off to his bunk, humming again.

Jyn watched him go, a bit shaken.  

Joreth Sward, it turned out, was going to be a _major_ problem.

* * *

 

Cassian emerged from the back of the ship just before they hit atmo.  Jyn didn’t noticed him until a sweet, warm smell wafted towards her and she whirled around in confusion.  When her eyes fell on him, they had widened to the size of saucers.  And then she forgot how to breathe.

He was dressed impeccably.  A collared, crisp white shirt lay open all the way down to his sternum.  It was tucked into wide black belt, cinched tightly at his waist.  His dark purple pants fit him like a glove, leading down his legs to a polished pair of black boots.  Over it all was a black greatcoat, tailored to perfection, the collar pulled high.  

He was wearing cologne, which he had never done before.  The scent was intoxicating, nearly making Jyn’s head spin every time she caught a whiff of it.  His hair was combed back away from his face, but not plastered down with oil like Jyn had seen some other men do.  His facial hair had been neatly trimmed.  

But worst of all was his expression, his behavior.  As she had sat staring at him, the predatory look she had caught earlier returned.  The intensity of it crackled through her.

“I can take over now, cariño,” he told her, but even his voice had changed.  His words came out with a purr, his accent thicker than usual.  

“O-okay,” Jyn stuttered.  But she didn’t move, and kept staring.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, and she was fascinated by the flash of the _real_ Cassian that cut across his features.

“Nothing, you just look… different,” she croaked.   

“Different?” he repeated, looking down at himself.  He frowned, and it made Jyn a bit sad that it made him look even more like himself.

“It’s not bad,” she clarified.  “Just… different.”   _Handsome_ , her mind supplied.   _Desirable._  She felt like she was coming down with a fever.

He grinned boyishly at her and she shot up out of the pilot’s seat.

“It’s all yours,” she said, awkwardly gesturing at the seat and nearly tripping over herself trying to get out of his way.  They brushed against each other as the changed places, and his cologne nearly made her swoon.  

Jyn stared openly at Cassian as he landed their ship just beyond the borders of Coronet, Corellia’s capital city.  She couldn’t help it; all she could do is hope that her desire didn’t show on her face.  He had always been handsome, of course, but she had gotten used to the steady pull of attraction towards him-- she could control it.  But _this_ , frankly, was a bit unfair.

When he stopped being Joreth and became Cassian again, she was going to kill him.


	2. Part Two

The streets of Coronet were bustling, which was both a blessing and a curse.  They could blend in easily and disappear behind groups of people, but it’d also be more difficult to see if anyone was trailing them.  It’d be even worse at night, when they planned on leaving, but they’d have to make do.  Thankfully, Cassian seemed to know the streets well.  He carried a large sack over his shoulder as he walked (strolled, really, with a confident smile on his face).  

Jyn was still trying not to stare.  It wasn’t going well.

Finally, they turned down an alley to find an unmarked, red doorway, guarded by the largest Besalisk she had ever seen.  He assessed Jyn first, his arms crossed tightly over his chest and scowling.  But when he moved on to Cassian, he smiled widely, his large, pointed teeth glistening.  

“Joreth! Long time, no see.  She will be glad to see you,” he rumbled.

“Que paso, Tersu!  How’s married life?” Cassian asked, clasping the creature’s arm in greeting.

“Boring, just how I like it.  Who’s your friend, or did you finally settle down yourself?”

Cassian laughed loudly, shoving him.

“Ay, no me eches la sal!  She’s just my co-pilot.  You know I don’t like to be tied down.  Figuratively, at least, you know?”

Jyn had been fighting very hard to not react to, well, everything.  But she felt her eyes widen at his words, an extremely unwelcome mental image flashing in her mind.  She was also getting more and more frustrated with her lack of Festian fluency. When they got back to the ship, she was going to make him go over _every single word_ with her.

Well, after she took a very cold shower.

And after he changed back into his regular clothes.

Cassian seemed to notice her reaction and covered for her.

“Let me get her inside before she loses her nerve,” he told the Besalisk, chuckling.  “She’s a bit of a mojigata.  Stay safe, jefe.”

“You know I will. Take care, Joreth.”

Cassian led Jyn through the red door and into a long, narrow hallway.  Catching her eye, he subtly brushed the hair by his ear and rubbed at his eyebrow.  

_Wires.  Cameras._  They were being recorded.  Jyn gave a hint of a nod to convey that she understood.

They silently walked down the carpeted hall.  It was lined with thick red curtains, and the smell of incense lingered in the air.  The lighting was dim, and Jyn felt her muscles tense in preparation.  This wouldn’t be the best place to get ambushed.  She had no room to move.  Her truncheons would be of no use.

But Cassian still exuded an air of confident composure.  She knew it was an act, but if he sensed danger, he’d make it known to her.  She had to admit, though– Joreth had thrown her off-balance.  It made Cassian seem a bit like a stranger, a feeling she hadn’t experienced in a long time.  But she still trusted him.  She always would.  And no matter how much she was appreciating the look and demeanor of Joreth, she would always prefer Cassian himself.  It was strange; there were moments when she was with him when he took on an alias that she found herself missing the real Cassian. Joreth was still only a small part of the man that she knew, and she quite preferred the whole package.  

Nevertheless, that didn’t make this part of him any less intriguing.

They turned the corner into an enormous sitting room, and Jyn blinked as she took it all in.

She had never seen so many naked women in her entire life.  They lounged on chairs and couches, reading books and knitting.  They stood in small groups, chatting quietly.  Some even lay on the floor, stretching or writing or drawing.  There were women of every shape, size, and color imaginable, from a lithe Twi’lek to a short and stout Bosph.

“Hola, mis bellas diosas,” Cassian announced to the room, a lazy smirk on his lips.  

Every head in the room looked up.

“Joreth!”

“Long time, no see, fly boy.”

“Look what the Lothal cat dragged in!”

Greetings came from all around them.  Jyn felt the tension in her muscles lessen significantly at the reaction.  She wasn’t sure what she had expected upon their arrival, though she had definitely (and unwillingly) pictured Cassian draped in beautiful women, protesting only barely as they pawed at him.  Their actual reaction, thankfully, was much closer to only vague interest, though some even portrayed outright indifference.  Not unfriendly, of course, but he might as well have been a maintenance worker to them.  

But then, a stunning Zeltron woman sauntered up to them.  She circled the two of them, eyeing Jyn in particular.  

“Hi Joreth, here to see Xeeta? Or will some of us finally get to have some fun with you?” she purred, running her hand along Cassian’s shoulders.

“I am here for la reina, you know that.  She doesn’t like to share.  But I didn’t come empty-handed,” he replied, putting the large bag he had carried from the ship on the floor.  

Another girl, a Shadda-Bi-Boran, came forward and peeked in the bag.  

“Oooo, meiloorun fruit!” she squealed.  “Joreth, you bring the best gifts!”

Jyn and Cassian were quickly forgotten as the girls crowded around the bag in excitement.  But the Zeltron was still staring at Jyn, stepping close to her and caressing her ruby-red fingers over Jyn’s cheek.

“And who’s this pretty little thing?” the girl asked, gazing through her eyelashes.  “What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“Um, Lianna,” Jyn replied, frozen in place.  She was suddenly overheating, and she pulled on her scarf in agitation.  Her skin was tingling, and she couldn’t stop looking at the girl’s mouth.

“Lianna,” the Zeltron swooned.  “How gorgeous! Have you ever been with a Zeltron before, Lianna?”

“I don’t–”

“We can read feelings, sense them, through the Force.  So I would know all the best ways to make you feel good.  The best ways to make you c–”

“Ándale, déjala en paz, Aara,” Cassian scolded, stepping between them.  “I’m taking her to meet Xeeta, she’s not a customer.”

Jyn felt like there was fizzpop in her veins.  She hadn’t even realized that she’d been leaning towards the Zeltron woman, her lips parted, eyes hooded, and her chest heaving.  And then, all of sudden, the feeling vanished.  Jyn shook her head, feeling a bit punch drunk.

“You’re such a spoilsport, Joreth Sward,” the woman pouted.  “Xeeta won’t like you with another woman, you know.”

“It’s not like that, la broncuda,” Cassian smirked, taking Jyn’s elbow.  He squeezed her there, hard, and it was like a shock to her system, pulling her out of her spell.  

“Hasta luego, ladies,” he called out to the rest of the girls, then gently led Jyn through the room to another hallway.  

“What was _that_?” she hissed, giving her head a good shake once they were alone again.  

“Zeltrons can influence your feelings, moods, reactions– to a certain degree at least,” he told her quietly.  “That’s what makes Aara so good at her job. She’s the best seductress there is.”

He glanced at her, concerned, and suddenly he was _him_ again.  

“Are you all right?” he asked.  She felt his thumb rub across her skin.

“I think so,” Jyn replied, her voice shaking.   _No, I’m not all right_ , she wanted to tell him, but she was sure they were still being recorded.  Danger, violence, explosions: that, she could handle. But there had been none of that, and yet she felt knocked completely sideways.  Not only that, but she was slightly angry with Cassian.  He should’ve prepared her better for this, told her what to expect.  She was ready to be done with this Xeeta person and back on the ship, back to normalcy.  But even then, she had a feeling that this side of him would linger with her for awhile.  

A large wooden door stood ahead of them, at the end of the hallway.  Cassian let go of her elbow just before they got to it.  He studied her face for a moment, closed his eyes, then knocked on the door.

“Enter,” came a husky, female voice.

Cassian swung the door open, wide.  An older woman sat at a large, ornate desk.  Her hair was long and grey, curling down to her waist in perfect, loose ringlets.  She wore a blue, flowing dress that hugged her hourglass figure and had the reddest full lips that Jyn had ever seen.  She was beautiful.  She stood as they entered, her eyes hooded and focused directly on Cassian.  

“Ah, mi reina,” he rumbled.  “It has been too long.”  

“Joreth,” the woman purred.  “What a lovely surprise!”

Cassian strode forward and she lifted her hand to him.  He took it and flipped it over, pressing a long kiss to her palm, then continued up the inside of her arm as the woman watched him, her eyes intense.

Jyn fidgeted uncomfortably.

The woman’s eyes shot over to her in a suspicious scowl.  

“And who is this?” she asked, not bothering to hide her displeasure.  She snatched her arm away from Cassian and glared at him.

Cassian chuckled, taking her hand again and kissing it.  

“She is only my copilot, mi amada.  Her name is Lianna.  I wanted to introduce you to each other,” he soothed.  “No seas celosa.”

The woman sniffed, still looking Jyn over.

“I’m _not_ jealous.  I just thought perhaps you had grown tired of me.  I haven’t seen you in so long, after all,” she huffed.

“I know, I know. But time waits for no man,” he replied.  Then he looked up at Jyn, who was suppressing a quirked eyebrow with all of her might.

“Lianna, allow me to introduce Madama Xeeta, the owner and operator of this fine establishment and supplier of our intimate knowledge on how to avoid Imperial raids,” he told her, grinning devilishly in a way that was completely unlike him.  It sent a sudden bolt of desire down Jyn’s spine.

Xeeta merely nodded once at her, then turned to Cassian.

“Speaking of, I imagine you’re here for the data file, you filthy smuggler?” she inquired, taking hold of his lapel.

“Sí, if you’d be so kind, mi reina,” he replied.  She opened a drawer and pulled out a data card, handing it to him.

“But what do I get in return, darling?” Xeeta inquired, slowly starting to pull him down towards her.

Jyn was getting increasingly uncomfortable, wondering just how far Cassian had gone in his willingness to do whatever was necessary to help the Rebellion.  She took a step backwards, about to suggest that she give them some time alone, when a loud crash echoed through the hallway behind her, followed by screaming.  

“Show us some identification! If you’re not rebel scum, you have nothing to worry about.”

_Stormtroopers._

Madame Xeeta cursed and immediately ran into the hallway, brushing past Jyn.  Cassian followed her, his eyes flashing with a hint of concern.

“Joreth,” Jyn warned as he passed, her heartbeat kicking up.  She hurried to follow them.

“It’s fine, Lianna.  We have our scandocs,” he replied, smoothly, keeping his cover.

“ _I_ don’t!” Jyn growled between clenched teeth, grabbing his arm.  They had to move– she cursed the stupid brothel and its narrow hallways.

Cassian’s face snapped towards her.  With Xeeta there, she couldn’t tell him that yes, Draven had promised her reliable, forged scandocs, but hadn’t come up with them yet.  It hadn’t been an issue thus far, since they tried to avoid situations where scandocs were necessary, but it would definitely be a problem for them now.

“Mierda!” he hissed.  His hand went to his hip for his blaster, but Madame Xeeta grabbed his other arm.

“Oh, no you don’t.  You’re not shooting up my walls!  Now get in here and be quiet,” she commanded, pulling open one of the doors and shoving Cassian and Jyn through it.  “I’ll cover for you.”  She quickly shut the door behind them.

It was a bedroom, decorated lavishly– clearly one of the customer rooms.  The two of them looked at each other for a moment, then stepped back towards the door, listening.

They could hear doors banging open and girls screaming in shock, but the troopers didn’t seem to be getting violent, yet.  

“The brothel’s too important to Coronet’s economy, and in turn the Empire’s economy, for them to arrest her or any of her girls.  She also has too many friends in too many high places.  They’ll leave them alone and only use force if they absolutely have to,” Cassian explained in a whisper.

Xeeta was suddenly yelling.

“Of course my girls don’t have their scandocs on them, you kriffing idiots!  They’re naked, where in the world would they keep them?  Are they supposed to tape them to their ankles?  Ridiculous nonsense!  They’re in my office, I can show you, if you could just–”

“We’re looking for rebels, not prostitutes,” came the reply, buzzing from the speaker in the trooper’s helmet.  “A ship was sighted outside the city that matches the description of one used by rebel spies that have been seen in this area.”

Jyn and Cassian glanced at each other.  The ship.  Would they even be able to leave Corellia?  They had hidden it well enough.  Perhaps they had just been spotted during their descent?

“As if I’d allow rebel spies in my establishment,” Xeeta scoffed.  “They wouldn’t even be able to pay!  Now, come into my office, I have all of the girls’ scandocs here.”

“We have orders to check every room,” the stormtrooper snapped.  They heard another door bang open, even closer.  

Jyn leaned her forehead against the door for a moment and let a string of the worst curses she knew pour out of her month.  

“There’s a window in the bathroom,” Cassian told her, low but urgent.  “We can climb out of it.”

She didn’t want to know how he knew that.

“Don’t be stupid, they’ll have the place surrounded,” she snapped.  She knew exactly what she had to do, but she did not want to do it. It would leave her extremely vulnerable, not to mention that she wasn’t anywhere near as good as Cassian at disappearing into another personality.  She wasn’t even sure she could pull it off.

And _kriff_ , this was going to make things extremely awkward between them.  

She exhaled harshly– there wasn’t time to think things over.  She quickly started peeling off her clothes, shoving them under the bed.

“What are y–” Cassian started to ask as she unfastened her pants.  He sounded positively alarmed.

“Don’t you dare,” Jyn growled, yanking her pants down, kicking them off her now bare feet.  “Don’t you _dare_ be Cassian right now.”

She figured he caught up to her when she heard him curse in Festian as she continued to strip down to her underwear.

_That’s better._

“Take your coat off, _Joreth_ ,” she commanded.  “And get on the be–”

A loud bang echoed from the hallway.  They could hear Madame Xeeta arguing with the stormtroopers just outside the door.  There was no time left.  She hurriedly shimmied out of the underwear.  

Before she could think about a way to improvise the fact that Cassian was still completely clothed, he was in front of her, his coat discarded across the floor and his sleeves pushed up to his elbows.  

“Confía en mí ,” he whispered, the telltale smirk of Joreth on his lips.  But his eyes were giving him away, dark and pleading.  She wasn’t sure what he was asking, but she nodded anyway.

He grasped her arms, quickly but gently walking her backwards until her back hit the wall.  She felt his hand, hot and trembling, brushing softly on the back of her thigh.

“Up,” he breathed.  Jyn’s mind was a litany of curses and protestations, but she hadn’t the time to process them– she hopped up and wrapped her legs tightly around Cassian’s waist.  He pressed her harder against the wall and she gasped as she felt his hands gripping her bottom.

“You have to make some noise now, mi amor,” he murmured, pressing her harder against the wall.  “Play the part, comprende?”  

Their eyes met and Jyn swallowed.  

“Venga,” he said.  “Sí se puede.”

Then he slowly rutted his hips into her.

Her eyes squeezed shut and a moan ripped its way out of her throat.  Heat rocketed across her skin.  

“Good girl,” he whispered.  And then his lips were on her, biting, licking, and sucking at her neck and chest.  Each touch burned into her skin like a brand.  

Jyn’s mind was spinning, but two thoughts shone brightly through the chaos.  First, she reminded herself that this was all an act, but it was an act that she really had to sell.  That got her hands in Cassian’s hair, holding him to her skin.  Second, she realized that their position would keep her body completely obscured from anyone else’s sight but his, even if he was forced to put her down.    

He was protecting her.  It was only fair that she do the same for him.

She moaned again, louder, and she heard Cassian’s breath stutter unevenly out of him, his fingers probably leaving bruises on her skin.

Suddenly, the door to the room slammed open.  Two stormtroopers pushed into the room, Madame Xeeta trailing behind them.  When they turned to see them, Jyn froze, trying to arrange her features to resemble fear.  Cassian, for his part, continued sucking at a spot just above her collarbone, making her breath hitch.

“Turn around and show us some identification,” one of the troopers ordered.

“I’m busy, cabrón,” Cassian growled against her skin, but it was such a non-Cassian response that Jyn had to fight hard to suppress a laugh.  Instead, she tugged on his hair.

“Baby,” she crooned, the word feeling foreign in her mouth.  “Show the nice men your scandocs so we can finish what we started.”  His hands flexed on her skin, and he let out a sigh as she unhooked her legs from his hips and slid down the wall, standing on her feet.  Her legs felt wobbly and unsteady.  Cassian slowly turned around, careful to shield her body from their view.  She was grateful for it.  

“They’re in my coat pocket,” he said, annoyance dripping through every syllable.  “And I’d appreciate it if you hurried, since I’m paying by the hour.”

The stormtroopers grabbed his coat on the floor behind them and studied his identification carefully.  Jyn clutched at the back of his shirt, her heart hammering in her chest.  If they noticed it was a forgery, they were done for.

“He’s good,” one of the stormtroopers finally stated, tossing Cassian’s belongings back on the floor.  He turned to Madame Xeeta.  “Now, let’s get a look at the scandocs of your… employees.”

“Finally!” Cassian declared, whirling around and pressing Jyn back up against the wall, coaxing her leg up around his waist again.  He was trying to get the troopers out of the room quicker, clearly.  She forced out a giggle, but it ended as a moan when she felt his lips on her neck, his free hand skating up her side.  

“My apologies for the interruption,” Madame Xeeta called out stiffly as she left, closing the door behind her a little harder than necessary.

The minute they were alone, Cassian nearly leapt apart from her.  His absence left her unnaturally cold, and she shivered.  They stared at each other for a moment, chests heaving, until he finally picked up his coat and shrugged it on, grabbing his scandocs up off the floor.

“Get dressed, and hurry.  We’ve got to get out of here,” he ordered.  Jyn practically threw her clothes back on while he went into the bathroom and opened the window as carefully and quietly as possible.  

“The building’s still going to be surrounded,” Jyn told him, pulling her boots on.

“We have no choice.  They’re going to find out very soon that you’re not one of hers,” he replied.  “The alleyway looks clear.  We’ll have to make a run for it.”

He was back to Cassian, their urgency making Joreth nothing but a memory.  The two of them climbed out the window and took off, disappearing as quickly as they could into the throngs of people on the main road at the end of the alley.

* * *

Later, as they hurtled through hyperspace and away from Corellia, Jyn joined Cassian in the cockpit.  She wasn’t quite sure what to expect from him– whether he’d be quiet or in the mood to talk.  But she could feel the tension between them, suffocating their connection to each other.

“So… Joreth Sward,” she said, staring out the viewport window.

He sighed.

“And you and Madame Xeeta, huh?” Jyn asked, needing to know.  

She watched a muscle in his jaw jump.

“No,” he replied, after a moment.  “It’s a flirtation.  That’s all it’s ever been, not that she wants to have it stay that way.  Our friendship won’t last much longer, I’m afraid.  Which is a shame, because her information is a great asset to the Rebellion.  Not that she knows that.”

He turned to her.

“Jyn, I–” he began, but she cut him off.

“What does ‘mojigata’ mean?” she asked.

Her heart soared when Cassian began to laugh, harder than she had ever heard him laugh before.  She felt the tension between them melting away in the warmth of it.

“It means ‘prude’,” he finally chuckled.

And then she was laughing with him.  And Jyn decided, then and there, that she did indeed like Joreth.  

She hoped she’d meet him again.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the closest I will ever come to writing smut, probably.
> 
> Also, more hopefully-passable Spanish!
> 
> Thanks for reading! Visit me on Tumblr: "KyberChronicles"

**Author's Note:**

> This two-parter was both difficult and REALLY fun to write. I originally wrote it for the "Undercover" prompt for rebelcaptainprompt's Tumblr. But it's not so much undercover as just using aliases.
> 
> Apologies to those of you who speak Spanish-- I am way out of practice and the bit I learned in the past was Spanish from actual Spain (my grandmother was born there), but I tried to do my best here.
> 
> Also, Cassian's cologne has pheromones in it, which may explain Jyn's reaction to it a bit better.
> 
> (I live for Cassian backstory and character study.)
> 
> Thanks for reading! Come say hi on Tumblr, same URL: "KyberChronicles".


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